Amazon has a plan to make Alexa mimic anyone’s voice

  • Amazon’s aim for Alexa is ‘generalizable intelligence’, or the ability to adapt to user environments and learn new concepts with little external input
  • Microsoft recently restricted which businesses could use its software to parrot voices over concerns it could also be used to propagate political deepfakes

The Amazon logo is seen on the facade of a sorting centre. Photo: dpa

Amazon.com wants to give customers the chance to make Alexa, the company’s voice assistant, sound just like their grandmother - or anyone else.

The online retailer is developing a system to let Alexa mimic any voice after hearing less than a minute of audio, said Rohit Prasad, an Amazon senior vice president, at a conference the company held in Las Vegas Wednesday. The goal is to “make the memories last” after “so many of us have lost someone we love” during the pandemic, Prasad said.

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